The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

Resources

Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension and vital records for Bingham County have been microfilmed and/or digitzed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and at the Idaho State Archives in Boise. Details of the county records in the Family History Library can be obtained from their online catalog or listings. Original records which have been microfilmed or imaged, and more recent records are in the county courthouse in Blackfoot. A considerable amount of inactive records have been transferred to the Idaho State Historical Society in Boise. [3]

Cemeteries

There are many cemeteries in Bingham County. For a list of those that have been identified, and links to transcriptions and/or photographs of tombstones, go to Bingham County, Idaho Cemetery Records.

For the cemeteries in or immediately adjacent to the cities, please see the city pages for the cities listed above.

A school census from 1898 to 1913 is located in the basement storage area at the Bingham County Courthouse. It includes a list of children, ages and name of parents. Contact the County Clerk for details.

Church History and Records

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The following are local congregations (wards) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which existed in Bingham County, Idaho prior to 1950. Many of the original records of these church units are in the Historical Library in Salt Lake City. Many of the membership records covering these units from the date of their creation to about 1948 have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Aberdeen

Basalt

Blackfoot

Blackfoot 1

Blackfoot 2

Blackfoot 3

Blackfoot 4

Camas

Dehlin

Firth

Fort Hall

Goshen

Groveland

Jamestown

Kimball

Moreland

Owensdale

Pingree

Rich

Riversides

Riverton

Rose

Shelley

Shelley 1

Shelley 2

Shelley 3

Springfield

Sterling

Thomas

Tilden

Wapello

Woodville

County Commissioner's Records

The minute books of the County Commissioners contain interesting tidbits of history about the county as well as the names of individuals appealing to the County Commissioners for action on issues of concern to them. Minutes of those meetings were recorded from the formation of the county, for most counties. Some counties now post the minutes of current meetings online.

Most of these records have been preserved in the county courthouses of the State of Idaho. Few have been microfilmed. Contact the county clerk for information about years covered and availability.

Court Records

Some of the early court records of Bingham County, Idaho have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho. The records filmed include civil suits, divorce papers, judgment dockets, etc. Copies of these microfilmed court records are also available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah or at any of the Library's Family History Centers. Additional court records and more recent records are housed at the Bingham County courthouse in Blackfoot, Idaho, and can be accessed by making a visit there.

Some of the Bingham County court records that have been microfilmed are:

Land and Property

Generally speaking, land and property records are held at the county level and may be accessed at the county courthouse where the transactions took place. The Bingham County courthouse is located in Blackfoot, Idaho. Some of the earlier records may have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives, and microfilmed copies of these records maybe viewed at the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has microfilmed the following Bingham County land records; Deeds from 1865-1923; Index to Homesteads 1890-1960; Homesteads from 1889 to 1961. These films can be viewed at the Library in Salt Lake City or at any of the Library's Family History Centers.

Military History and Records

World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Bingham County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm numbers 1452108 and 1452109) and are also available online at Ancestry.com, for a subscription fee. The original cards are maintained in the Southeast Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in East Point, Georgia and have been microfilmed by the National Archives as their Microcopy M1509.

Miscellaneous Series

Often overlooked by the genealogist, this group of volumes may contain affidavits for citizenship, final disposition of estates, divorce decrees, and many other types of valuable documents. The content varies from county to county, year to year and from clerk to clerk. When the estate case files, civil or criminal files are not available or have been destroyed, you may find key documents recorded here. Most counties will have an index to this series and it is a must search if the information you are seeking is not found elsewhere.

Neither the Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho, nor the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah appear to have copies of any Miscellaneous Series in Bingham County. One should check with the Bingham County courthouse in Blackfoot for any possible records which they hold.

Naturalization

Some but not all of the original naturalization records of Bingham County have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives in Boise. Those in the Archive's Library have been indexed in their Index to Naturalizations.

Newspapers

Current

Newspapers being published in Bingham County include the Aberdeen Times, published in Aberdeen; the Shelley Pioneer, published in Shelley; and The Morning News, published in Blackfoot (see the individual towns where these newspapers are published for additional information).

Historical

The Morning News was called the Idaho News in 1891 and the Blackfoot News in 1892. Blackfoot Public Library offers access to historic editions of this news paper on microfilm through interlibrary loan. Blackfoot Public Library will also perform brief searches and provide copies for $.10 each.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed many of Bingham County's early newspapers which can be accessed at their facility in Boise, Idaho.

Pension Records

Mothers' Pensions were provided by the State of Idaho for widows and/or orphans, under certain conditions. Petitions for those pensions were filed with the probate court in each county. The original papers for several counties have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives in Boise and have been indexed. Bingham County Mothers' Pensions are included in that index.

Probate Records

The original estate case files are located in the basement vault of the County Clerk's Office and date from 1885. They are still in their original metal drawers and have to be carefully unfolded to use. Be sure to use the Index to Probate Records (also in the basement vault) for a detailed listing of actions taken by the Probate Court. Some of the probate minute books (sometimes called proceedings) have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives.

Taxation

Any existing tax assessment rolls for Bingham County should be in the courthouse in Blackfoot and would need to be accessed by visiting there.

Vital Records

Birth

The Birth Registers for Bingham County, 1907-1911 have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Birth records, 1911 to present, for individuals born in Bingham County are included in and recorded at the state level. These records are restricted for a period of one hundred years from the time of the individual's birth but can be obtained by following the guidelines as issued by the State of Idaho. See the Vital Records section under the subject Idaho for more details.

Marriages

Deaths

The Death Registers for Bingham County, 1907-1911, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. After 1911, deaths occurring in Bingham County are included in the state-wide registration program. These records are restricted for a period of fifty years from the time of the individual's death but can be obtained by following the guidelines as mandated by the State of Idaho. See the Vital Records section under Idaho for details.

Copies of death certificates from 1911-1954 are on microfilm and can be used at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, BYU-Idaho University Library in Rexburg and several other locations.

A state-wide index to Idaho Deaths, 1911-1956 is available online. Efforts to expand this index to 1960 are underway. Another version is Idaho Death Index 1911-1956.

Deaths from other sources

A significant source of death and related information for eastern Idaho families can be found at the following website Eastern Idaho Death Index.

Societies, Libraries and Museums

Many public libraries provide internet access to sites of value to the family historian. Some have special collections of historical and cultural interest, as well. The following libraries may have some resources of value, but use of some or all of them may require a visit to the library.